Federal workplace safety inspectors found a Palatine, Illinois contractor did not provide roofing employees with required fall protection, exposing them to the risk of falls from elevation, the construction industry’s leading cause of workplace deaths, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced.
These workplace safety violations by Ricardo Gallardo – operating as R&R Construction Services Inc. – are the fifth and sixth times since 2019 that inspectors with OSHA discovered the company violating federal regulations for protecting workers from falls.
On June 15, 2023, OSHA inspectors opened an investigation after they observed eight roofers working without fall protection at heights over 6 feet at a residential home work site in Palos Heights. On July 18, 2023, inspectors observed crews — again without required protection — working atop a residential roof in Joliet.
OSHA inspectors also learned the company did not train employees on the use of fall protection and noted the company’s failure to provide workers using pneumatic hammers with required eye protection.
After its June and July inspections, OSHA cited the company for one willful violation and four repeat violations and assessed $275,869 in penalties.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Topics Contractors Illinois
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